Turkey Receives 4 Husky Mine Detectors

Aug. 1, 2013 - 09:39AM
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ANKARA — The Turkish military has received four South African-made Husky vehicle-mounted mine detectors (VMMDs), officials here said.

Husky is a mine-removal system developed by Dorbyl Rolling Stock Division of East Rand, Gauteng, South Africa.

Turkish officials said the delivery is part of a contract with the company for the off-the-shelf acquisition of the system, which will replace manual mine-detecting practice by the Turkish Army. The Turkish military also occasionally uses a remote-controlled mine-detection system developed by the country’s biggest defense firm, Aselsan.

Some of Turkey’s borders with neighboring countries, especially Syria, Iraq and Iran, have land mines.

Turkish officials declined to comment on when the contract had been signed or its price, but an industry source from a Turkish armored vehicles manufacturer said the deal was worth more than $100 million.

The Husky VMMD system was developed in the 1970s for the South African Defence Force to clear military convoy routes of mines in Namibia and Angola.

It consists of two Husky vehicles. The first one acts as a mine detection vehicle while the second is known as a towing/mine detection vehicle.

The latest version of the Husky, the 2G, has high-sensitivity low-metal content detectors, ground-penetrating radar, powerful air blowers and a robotic arm. With the extra equipment, the Husky design has evolved to take a second crew member. The Husky 2G was voted one of the US Army’s Top 10 most innovative advances in Army technology.